Jack Bauer's big problem: He's not getting any sleep
David Perry, Executive editor -- Furniture Today, February 22, 2010
Was Jack Bauer napping at 4 p.m. in New York the other day when the eighth season of the TV hit show “24” got under way last month? He certainly needs to catch up on his sleep.
Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland, is the hero of “24,” which follows 24 eventful, torture-packed, tense hours during which the fate of the country and perhaps the entire world hangs in the balance. It is a superb television show, completely addictive, and is one of my personal favorites.
But it is a bothersome show, especially for those of us in the sleep business. You see, Jack Bauer has to survive those 24 action-packed hours without any sleep. And that is just not a good thing for anyone, even a person of Jack's incredible abilities. Lack of sleep makes us less effective at what we do. It's that simple.
“24” is presented in “real time,” which means we are supposedly watching Jack's day unfold just as he experiences it. And I can't recall ever seeing the poor guy sleep in previous seasons.
Now don't think that Jack built up his sleep to get ready for each new season. It doesn't work that way, according to The Sleep Doctor, Michael Breus, (who, by the way, will be one of the featured speakers at our upcoming Bedding Conference, set for May 5-7 at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando. His talk is sponsored by Carpenter, which has an education-rich Web site at www.sleepbetter.org that presents a wealth of information of sleep issues.)
I clicked on the “Ask the Expert” section of that Web site to learn if Jack could catch some extra winks before his big day. “Can I bank sleep for later?” is one of the questions posed to Dr. Breus. His answer: “No, unfortunately it doesn't seem to work that way.” Sorry, Jack.
Breus also had some worrisome news for Jack. Responding to the question, “Can I get physically sick from lack of sleep?” Breus said: “Anecdotal evidence from people's personal experiences suggests a link between sleep and susceptibility to illness.” That's more bad news for Jack Bauer.
What we need to do, I think, is lobby the show's writers to give weary Jack some much-needed shut eye.
How about this script:
2 a.m.: Jack sleeps soundly.
2:08:37: Zzzz.
2:18:49: Jack rolls onto his side and dreams of beating up bad guys.
2:38:15: Jack's spine is perfectly aligned as he sinks into his luxurious sleep set.
OK, there's not a lot of action there, but there is a lot of reality. Slow down, Jack. Grab a quick nap. Staying up for 24 hours straight just isn't a good idea.
Contact David Perry at dperry@reedbusiness.com
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